Don’t blame American seniors for budget crisis

Syndicated artist Nick Anderson’s cartoon in your April 9 paper blames older people for the budget crisis. Opposition to Social Security cuts has more to do with defending the rights of younger workers to have Social Security when they need it. Funds for this are secure until about 2032 based on current assumptions.

Social Security will always have to be adjusted for changes in birth rates, death rates, immigration rates and so forth. The problem with the federal budget is not a problem with Social Security. The federal government has a budget problem because so much is spent on war without having a war tax, because unemployment is so high and tax revenue is depressed, and because Democrats and Republicans alike are in thrall to corporate and finance power.

Social Security payments are modest, but they reduce the rate of poverty for older Americans in a dignified, respectful manner. Anderson and his ilk would have it treated as welfare payments to the ungrateful and undeserving. He speaks for power, not people.